INSIDE
SPORTS Downers athletes shine at D-I level Page 11
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NEWS Westmont warns residents of scam artists
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Our Community, Our News
JULY 31, 2013
Vol. 5 No. 35
Working out with man’s best friend Westmont fitness club offers alternative to traditional workouts
By Jonathan Samples Staff Reporter
It’s been almost one year since Westmont resident Tricia Montgomery started the first K9 Fit Club, an indoor fitness facility where people of all ages can come to work out with their best four-legged friends. In that short amount of time, the idea has not only caught on, but has begun to spread nationwide. Montgomery has already started four clubs throughout Chicagoland, including a new location in Westmont that opened in July. However, Montgomery isn’t stopping there. She is on the cusp of starting four K9 Fit Clubs in St. Louis and North Carolina. “I think people have really recognized that what we do is different,” Montgomery said. “I genuinely want to help others, and it’s not what I want from
you, it’s what I want for you. That’s recognized in our entire company.” The idea for K9 Fit Club sprung out of Montgomery’s background as the former executive director of the ChicagoVeterinary Medical Association. However, the real inspiration for K9 Fit Club came from her desire to help people, who, like herself, struggled with obesity, depression and body image. “Being a former person who felt intimidated to go to the gym, someone who was made fun of, someone who was not ‘accepted,’ to be able to give other people a chance I never had, I think that’s the beauty of it,” Montgomery said. “You’re not going to see ripped fitness people in K9 Fit Club, you’re going to see real people. It’s about helping others” K9 Fit Club combines personal training with pet exercise and elements of dog
JONATHAN SAMPLES/STAFF REPORTER
Bob Thompson and his 9-year-old Golden Retriever Ginger have attended the K9 Fit Club since its first class since Aug. 5, 2012.
obedience. Every class offered at the club was developed by veterinarians, and Montgomery said those classes are modeled on Association for Pet Obesity Prevention standards. Each class maxes out at
six people and each class incorporates two trainers: one to lead the class and the other to help lead the dogs. Every K9 Fit Club trainer has a background in human personal training and each is required to pass the K9
Fit Club’s own animal training course. “We call it being in the dog house,” Montgomery said of K9 Fit Clubs training program. See K9 FIT CLUB, page 4